Poland is far from happy with the results of the Copenhagen conference, Bernard Błaszczyk said. The ”Copenhagen Accord" is regarded simply as a political declaration encompassing some, but not the major issues indentified by the EU as strategic ones. No agreement binding after 2012 has been reached. The Copenhagen Accord has been merely acknowledged by the Conference of Parties (COP). This means that along with climate negotiation texts drawn up with reference to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the “Copenhagen Accord" can be regarded as only one more point of debate in 2010.

In Poland’s view, measures should be taken first of all to prevent the stratification of the negotiations. For negotiation texts drawn up at the Convention forum are ready for discussion while debates will be held on immediate implementation of the Copenhagen Accord. This would sidetrack the role of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The European Union should therefore come up with a clear and determined position to the effect that any climate change agreement covering years after 2012 should be worked out and adopted solely under the auspices of the UNFCCC.

Emission reduction targets declared so far by other countries, including top greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters are by no means comparable to declarations submitted by the European Union. In fact, in its conclusions in December 2009 the European Council has stipulated comparability of obligations by other developed countries and appropriate scope of measures by developing countries. Clearly, the adoption of a common emission reduction target and chosing 1990 as the base year for the European Union does not determine individual targets and base years of its respective members within the framework of a new accord.

Poland believes that the current international situation necessitates a thorough analysis that would consequently impel the EU to revise its negotiation strategy. For the time being, there is no certainty whether the United States and other top GHG emitters would meet the deadline for accepting their emission reduction commitments and support climate actions under the Copenhagen Accord. In this context, the adoption of a joint statement at the BASIC group countries’ meeting in New Delhi and including government ministers of China, Brazil and South Africa that came up with a joint position on the climate front post-Copenhagen has been an encouraging signal. However, the last state elections in the United States may change the balance of forces in the Senate to the disadvantage of climate legislation measures.

It appears that the European Union’s ever more ambitious targets may not encourage other countries to follow suit. Similar ambitious EU declarations in 2007 and 2008 failed to bring effective results.

Poland has taken comprehensive measures to implement the European Commission’s climate change decisions aimed at facilitating the reduction of GHG emissions and promoting wider use of renewable energy sources. Polish experts are involved in the Commission’s working groups dealing with emission rights auctions and pricing mechanisms, fuel benchmarks, the place of the heating sector in the EU energy and climate package and the EU derogation directive on paid emission allowances for power stations that meet allowance criteria.

Poland’s government officials representing the Ministries of the Economy and the Ministry of the Environment, on their part, are in talks with the Europeam Commission to help eliminate any ambiguities particularly with respect to these two issues.